Reality Show In Which Parents ‘Bet’ On Their Babies Is Unfortunately Coming To A TV Near You

You know what realty TV definitely does not need more of? Children. Although including the 10 and under set on reality shows has proved to be quite eye-ball catching, I think we can all agree that burdening kids with the “reality star” label isn’t a stellar way to snatch up parenting points. But ABC managed to find families who are willing to not only put their toddler on TV, but then “bet” on said children doing certain things. Were monkeys unavailable?

In a press release that I received, ABC announces that they have ordered eight episodes of parents betting on an “individual challenge” for their baby. But don’t judge these parents too harshly, as they’re all competing to win college money. So I guess that makes exploiting your toddler’s milestones on TV just dandy:

…“Bet On Your Baby,” [is] a new primetime game show in which parents try to predict their child’s next move in an effort to win money for their child’s future education…Every parent thinks they know their baby well, but are they willing to bet on it? “Bet On Your Baby”will reveal the answer to that question each week in an hour-long program featuring five families with toddlers between the ages of two years old and three and a half years old. Each family will play a self-contained, individual challenge against the house – meaning they’re only competing against themselves, and not against other babies. At the end of the show, the five families return to play the college round for the chance to win $50,000 towards a college education for their child.

Chris Grant, CEO of Electus which is co-producing “Bet On Your Baby,” describes the series as “a unique look into the world of parenting set alongside a game show that allows the audience to catch a glimpse inside the lives of young families in such a fresh, new way.” They even have the host of the show, Melissa Peterman, waving her own mom cred along such an endeavor:

“The concept of the show just appealed to me on many levels because as a mom I liked the fact that the kids are having fun and being themselves, it’s the parents playing the game. As someone who likes funny, there is no one more naturally hilarious and fun to watch than a toddler.”

So obviously that means we should be putting them on TV in a “game show” scenario. This crazy is set to debut on April 2013.